This invention relates to golf club heads and more particularly to a novel removable coating material which imparts added spin performance to the impact surface of the club head.
It is well known to coat a golf club head for added protection against wear. Such coatings are comprised of a long lasting protective material and flame sprayed or otherwise applied onto the club head during manufacture to prevent destruction or removal therefrom as much as possible. One particular prior art application teaches a club head coated with a nonbrittle material applied as a thin tenacious coating by a flame spraying technique. Such coatings are applied to the club head during the manufacturing process.
Unrelated to service-life, it is also well known that it is desirable to impart spin on the ball when using "irons" under certain conditions. Proper stroking of the ball to impart the desired spin and spin rate demands much skill and practice. Such skills are mastered by the professional but in varying degrees by the amateur golfer. While the prior art described above recognizes that the application of roughened granular coatings to the head surface readily imparts such a spin, such prior art teachings have only been recognized in connection with the development of a long-lasting coating designed solely to protect the club head. Further, such coatings are applied by the manufacturer and utilize fairly complicated techniques. Such coatings are thus uniform for the individual golfer regardless of skill.
Heretofore, the prior art has not suggested or taught a simple but effective spin control means which can be applied as a coating to the club head by the golfer himself. Further, none of the coating types of the prior art have been easily removable to permit trial and error techniques to arrive at the desired degree of roughness for the individual golfer.
A particular disadvantage of the prior art is the uniformity and permanence of coatings applied equally for all commercial clubs so that the range of performance is completely dependent on the skill of the golfer. Heretofore, there has been no suggestion or teaching of a coating material which allows the individual golfer to apply a coating of the material to his own clubs which will assist him in improving his skill at imparting spin on the ball. Thus, there is a need for a coating material which particularly enhances the ability of a golf club to impart spin on the ball regardless of the golfer's skill. Further, there is a need for such coating material which can be easily applied or removed and is economically attractive to all concerned.